India has been reporting below 20,000 new Covid-19 cases for the past few days. (Picture: Reuters)Coronavirus Variants and Vaccinations, Coronavirus Active Cases in India Today News, October 25 Live Updates: India may have in a better position now in terms of the Covid situation if you compare with the condition prevailing two months ago. However, the fight against Coronavirus is not over yet. With a few cases of new Delta ‘sub variant’, which is the reason behind the recent surge in the UK, detected Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, the possibility of a third wave can’t be ruled out. Though the emergence of the variant is not surprising, the experts are cautious about the silent spread.
Experts have said all along that India may not see the third wave in case there is no emergence of a new Covid mutant. However, scientists have said that the AY.4.2 variant of the Coronavirus has already reached India, which is more concerning now. In fact, some cases have been detected in Mumbai, according to reports. Even though research regarding the new mutant is still in the initial phase, studies so far show that this mutant is far more transmissible than the Delta variant.
India reported 14,306 new Coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking its overall Covid-19 tally to 3,41,89,774, while the active cases declined to 1,67,695, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Monday. Covid deaths remained high. With 443 fresh fatalities, the Covid-19 death toll climbed to 4,54,712, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new infections has been below 30,000 for 31 straight days and less than 50,000 for 120 consecutive days now. The active cases now account for 0.49% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate improved to 98.18%, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.
In the meanwhile, the decline in India’s Covid-19 cases slowed down to 1% after the festive week. In the week ended October 24, India witnessed 1,08,500 new Covid-19 cases, compared to 1,09,760 cases in the previous week – only 1,200 lesser infections as Covid-19 cases surge in several states/UTs after the celebration of festivals. According to data from Union Health Ministry, Assam reported the highest surge of 42% in new Coronavirus infection in the week ended October 24, followed by West Bengal (41%). Himachal Pradesh also reported a 25% spike in new cases. National Capital Delhi saw a 9% rise in fresh Coronavirus infections. India has been reporting below 20,000 new cases for the past few days.
Here are the latest updates on Coronavirus from India and around the globe:
Highlights
Schools, colleges to reopen in West Bengal from November 15, says CM Mamata Banerjee (PTI)
South Korea will donate 1 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to Iran, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Monday. (Reuters)
Russia on Monday reported 37,930 new Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, its highest single-day case tally since the start of the pandemic. The government's coronavirus taskforce reported 1,069 deaths related to the virus, six short of the record of 1,075 set on Saturday. Faced with worsening infection rates and frustrated by the slow take-up of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine by its own population, authorities are introducing stricter measures this week to try to curb the spread of the pandemic. President Vladimir Putin last week declared that Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 would be paid non-working days. (Reuters)
Children as young as 3 will start receiving COVID-19 vaccines in China, where 76% of the population has been fully vaccinated and authorities are maintaining a zero-tolerance policy toward outbreaks. Local city and provincial level governments in at least five provinces issued notices in recent days announcing that children ages 3-11 will be required to get their vaccinations. The expansion of the vaccination campaign comes as parts of China take new clampdown measures to try to stamp out small outbreaks. Gansu, a northwestern province heavily dependent on tourism, closed all tourist sites Monday after finding new COVID-19 cases. Residents in parts of Inner Mongolia have been ordered to stay indoors due to an outbreak there. The National Health Commission reported 35 new cases of local transmission had been detected over the past 24 hours, four of them in Gansu. Another 19 cases were found in the Inner Mongolia region, with others scattered around the country. China has employed lockdowns, quarantines and compulsory testing for the virus throughout the pandemic and has largely stamped out cases of local infection while fully vaccinating 1.07 billion people in its population of 1.4 billion. In particular, the government is concerned about the spread of the more contagious delta variant by travelers and about having a largely vaccinated public ahead of the Beijing Olympics in February. Overseas spectators already have been banned from the Games, and participants will have to stay in a bubble separating them from people outside. (AP)
India is committed to supplying COVID-19 vaccines to other nations and such supplies are likely to begin by the end of this year, as the abundant production will not just meet domestic needs but also generate surplus for exports. a top government official said on Monday. The official, however, added that the supply of vaccines to other nations will have to be balanced against the country's vaccination program. "India's commitment to provide vaccines to other nations stands. It has been reiterated by the Indian leadership... However, major supplies to other nations will have to be balanced against India's own needs of vaccines for the country's vaccination program," the official told PTI on condition of anonymity. India, the world's largest producer of vaccines overall, had suspended exports of COVID-19 vaccines in April to focus on inoculating its own population following a sudden spike in infections. "We do foresee that there will be spare supplies, and in fact going into late 2021 and beyond, there will be generous vaccine supplies, which would then become available for exports, so the situation is being watched carefully, it is a dynamic situation," he said. According to the official, currently the priority is to cover the eligible population of India effectively and in the shortest possible time. "The export needs and commitments are also carefully watched and monitored," he said, adding that going forward, the calibrated approach to exporting vaccines would be taken. The official said: "India would particularly like to fulfil its commitment to COVAX." (PTI)
Mexico's Health Ministry on Sunday registered 87 more confirmed coronavirus deaths and 1,666 new cases, bringing the country's overall death toll to 286,346 and the total number of cases to 3,783,327. (Reuters)
Puducherry witnessed a fall in the number of fresh coronavirus cases during the last 24 ours ending with 30 infections taking the overall tally to 1,27,765. After recording 61 new cases on Sunday, the union territory added 30 in the last 24 hours, Director of the Health Department G Sriramulu said in a release here. The fresh infections were detected at the end of the examination of 2,618 samples, he said, adding the Puducherry region accounted for 18 cases followed by Karaikal (9) and Mahe (3). The cumulative cases rose to 1,27,765. The Yanam region, an enclave in Andhra Pradesh, did not report any fresh cases, he said. Sriramulu said the number of active cases stood at 454 with 87 undergoing treatment in hospitals and the remaining 367 in home isolation. He said while 43 patients recovered and were discharged from healthcare facilities during the last 24 hours, the overall recoveries stood at 1,25,454. No fresh fatality was reported during the last 24 hours from any of the regions and the death toll remained at 1,857. (PTI)
Britain is likely to require staff in the National Health Service to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday. He told Sky News that mandatory vaccines for health workers would help to protect patients, and that he was not deterred by the fact there is already a staff shortage in the health system. "We are considering it," he told Sky News. "We're yet to make a final decision but I am leaning towards doing it." (Reuters)
Mizoram reported a dip in COVID-19 cases as 158 new infections were detected on Monday, 414 less than the previous day, pushing the tally to 1,17,419, a health department official said. The northeastern state on Sunday had reported 572 cases and on Saturday 745 cases. With daily COVID-19 cases falling below 1,000 for 11 consecutive days since October 15, Mizoram health officials believe the state's COVID curve has started to show a downward trend. The single-day positivity rate on Monday dipped to 6 per cent from 9.47 per cent on Sunday, he said. The COVID-19 death toll rose to 412 as five more persons succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours. Of the 158 fresh COVID-19 cases, 157 were confirmed through Rapid Antigen Tests, while one was detected at a TrueNat facility, he said, adding that 33 children were among the newly infected people. According to a government bulletin, Aizawl district reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases so far at 73,226, followed by Lunglei (9,192) and Kolasib district (7,629). So far, Aizawl district reported the highest COVID-19 fatalities at 296, followed by Kolasib (30) and Lunglei (26), the bulletin said. (PTI)
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BSP President Mayawati on Monday said the decision of the Uttar Pradesh government to provide financial assistance to the kin of those killed due to COVID-19 has come in very late. The Yogi Adityanath government in the state had last week announced an assistance of Rs 50,000 each to the kin of those killed due to COVID-19 infection. In a tweet in Hindi, the BSP supremo said, "The decision of the UP government to provide financial assistance to the families of those who died from Corona has been taken very late.Now they should get this help soon." Coronavirus has so far claimed 22,899 lives in the state. (PTI)
Ladakh recorded five fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 20,904 while the number of active cases in the union territory has gone down to 37, officials said. Ladakh has registered 208 Covid-related deaths -- 150 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. Six patients of coronavirus were cured and discharged from hospitals, thereby taking the tally of recoveries to 20,659, they said. A total of 173 sample reports in Ladakh were tested negative, they said. There was no death reported due to Covid in Ladakh Sunday. All the five new cases were reported in Leh, they said. (PTI)
Ladakh recorded five fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 20,904 while the number of active cases in the union territory has gone down to 37, officials said. Ladakh has registered 208 Covid-related deaths -- 150 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. Six patients of coronavirus were cured and discharged from hospitals, thereby taking the tally of recoveries to 20,659, they said. A total of 173 sample reports in Ladakh were tested negative, they said. There was no death reported due to Covid in Ladakh Sunday. All the five new cases were reported in Leh, they said. (PTI)
Arunachal Pradesh did not register any fresh COVID-19 case in the past 24 hours, while 10 more single-day recoveries were reported, a senior health department official said on Monday. The tally remained at 55,089 with 132 active infections, he said. The death toll, too, stood at 280, as no new fatality was reported since Sunday, State Surveillance Officer Lobsang Jampa said. Arunachal Pradesh now has a recovery rate of 99.25 per cent, after 54,677 people were discharged from hospitals. West Kameng district has the highest number of active cases at 33, followed by Tawang (20), Namsai (17) and East Siang (12), the SSO said. The northeastern state has so far tested 11,80,648 samples for COVID-19. (PTI)
Poland's daily COVID-19 cases are growing at a rate of around 90% compared to the previous week, a deputy health minister said on Monday, as the fourth wave of the pandemic gathers pace. "The results we got on Monday do not reflect what stage of the pandemic we are currently at, they are always lower ... but what is more important is this strong uptrend, and at a high level, which is holding, at the moment it is around over 90% compared to last week," Waldemar Kraska told public broadcaster Polskie Radio 1. (Reuters)
Schools in Karnataka re-opened for students of classes 1 to 5 from Monday, strictly adhering to COVID-19 related precautions and guidelines. However, several private schools in the city and in different places across the state, have decided to reopen schools for these students only after Deepavali, official sources said. Several schools had made special arrangements by decorating premises and classrooms to welcome students. "I'm happy to come back to school. I had missed meeting friends, as I could rarely come out of home and there was no school. All these days I used to see teachers teaching on mobile or laptop, now I can see directly," a student of class 4 said with joy. A teacher said the schools have made all the necessary arrangements by following the SOPs issued by the government, and felt happy welcoming children back. With COVID-19 cases declining, Karnataka government in consultation with COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on October 18 had decided to permit re-opening of schools for students of classes 1 to 5 from October 25, by strictly adhering to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and SOPs issued by the Department of Primary and Secondary Education. Parental consent letter for physical classes is mandatory. (PTI)
The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record any new COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Monday. The COVID-19 tally remained at 7,648. The Archipelago had reported two new coronavirus cases on Sunday. The union territory now has only six active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district while the other two districts - North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar - are coronavirus free, he said. Two more persons recovered from the disease, taking the total number of COVID-19 recoveries to 7,513. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 129 as no fresh fatality has been reported in the last 24 hours, the official said. The administration has so far tested 5,89,097 samples for COVID-19 and the cumulative test positivity rate is 1.30 per cent. (PTI)
Australian officials plan to roll out COVID-19 booster shots soon to prevent a resurgence of cases, as residents in the two largest cities of Sydney and Melbourne begin to enjoy more freedoms after months-long curbs. Australia has ditched its COVID-zero strategy in favour of suppressing the coronavirus, after largely stamping out infections for most of this year, and is now aiming to live with the virus through higher vaccinations. Officials are gradually shifting their focus to booster shots as double-dose vaccinations levels in Australia's adult population nears 75%. Almost 87% of people above 16 have received their first dose since the national rollout began in February. "We think what is going to happen is that a booster shot will be made available from six months from your second dose," Lieutenant General John Frewen, head of the vaccination taskforce, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday. (Reuters)
National Capital Delhi on Sunday reported zero Covid-19 deaths and 37 new cases. the Covid-19 positivity rate stood at 0.06%. As per official data, only four deaths have been recorded so far this month — once each on October 2, October 10, October 19 and October 22.
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Out of 14,306 new cases and 443 deaths in the country, Kerala reported 8,538 new cases and 71 deaths, yesterday. (ANI)
A northwestern Chinese province heavily dependent on tourism closed all tourist sites Monday after finding new COVID-19 cases. Gansu province lies along the ancient Silk Road and is famed for the Dunhuang grottoes filled with Buddhist images and other religious sites. The National Health Commission said 35 new cases of local transmission had been detected over the past 24 hours, four of them in Gansu. Another 19 cases were found in the Inner Mongolia region, with others spread across several provinces and cities. Residents in parts of Inner Mongolia have been ordered to stay indoors. Despite having largely stamped out cases of local infection, China maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward the pandemic, characterized by lockdowns, quarantines and compulsory testing for the virus. The spread of the delta variant by travelers and tour groups is of particular concern ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. Overseas spectators already are banned, and participants will have to stay in a bubble separating them from people outside. (AP)
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COVID-19 | India reports 443 Covid deaths in the last 24 hours -- Union Health Ministry
In apparent backflip on border entry requirements for the Australian Open may allow unvaccinated players to compete at the first tennis major of 2022 after undergoing 14 days in quarantine. Last week, high-ranking federal and state government political leaders said players who hadn't received two doses of a recognized COVID-19 vaccine were unlikely to get visas for the Jan. 17-30 tournament at Melbourne Park. Early Monday, a leaked email from the WTA to its Players' Council, reported by the New York Times and Melbourne's The Age newspaper, suggested unvaccinated players would likely be granted a visa but must do two weeks in isolation in a quarantine hotel. Fully vaccinated players would not have to undergo quarantine. "We feel the need to reach out to you all to clear up false and misleading information that has recently been spread by other parties about the conditions that players will be forced to endure at next year's Australian Open," the email said. "We have been communicating regularly with ... the Tennis Australia team in recent months and they shared some good news with us on our Players' Council call last Friday so that you know the facts." The email said Tennis Australia was still working with the government on the details but because Victoria state was expected to hit a vaccination target of 90% of the adult population by next month, "it has been confirmed that conditions for the players at the Australian Open will improve significantly." It said players were expected to be allowed to start arriving in Australia from Dec. 1. Tennis Australia was expected to comment later Monday. (AP)
Union Minister for Tourism & Culture G. Kishan Reddy assures journalists that he will try to get the status of frontline warrior for journalists as they had discharged their duties risking their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. (AIR News)
Thane has reported 169 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 5,64,663, an official said on Monday. These new cases were recorded on Sunday, he said. The virus also claimed the life of one more person, which pushed the death toll in the district to 11,478, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 2.03 per cent. In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,37,809, while the death toll stands at 3,282, another official said. (PTI)
Concerted international action is needed to support Papua New Guinea as a surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelms the Pacific country's health system, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Monday. Coronavirus cases in the island nation of 9 million have been surging in recent weeks, with 385 new cases recorded on Thursday, according to the latest available government data. There have been 26,731 officially confirmed cases and 329 deaths in the country 150 km (90 miles) north of Australia. Less than 1% of the population has been fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data figures, although the government anticipated months ago that it would have enough shots by now for everyone who wanted to be vaccinated. Misinformation, public apprehension, and logistical challenges with the rollout have slowed down vaccinations, the Red Cross said. "Urgent efforts and further support are needed in healthcare to prevent a massive loss of life in the coming days and weeks," Uvenama Rova, PNG Red Cross secretary-general, said in a statement. (Reuters)
New Zealand reported 109 new locally acquired coronavirus cases on Monday, the bulk of them in its largest city, Auckland, as the country saw its second-worst day of daily infections since the pandemic began. Once the poster child for stamping out COVID-19, New Zealand has been unable to beat an outbreak of Delta variant of COVID-19 centred in Auckland, despite the city remaining under a strict lockdown for more than two months. The country over the weekend also reported the first community case of the virus in its South Island in nearly a year, a cause for further headache, though health officials said the risks of a further spread from the case remained low. The spike in cases has forced Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to abandon her elimination strategy and switch to living with the virus, and health officials have warned of an uptick in cases until vaccinations ramp up. As of Monday, 71% of eligible New Zealanders were fully inoculated, including 77% of Aucklanders. (Reuters)
British pop star Ed Sheeran said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will do interviews and performances from his house while he self-isolates. Sheeran, 30, broke the news on social media days before his new studio album is due out. "Quick note to tell you that I've sadly tested positive for Covid, so I'm now self-isolating and following government guidelines," Sheeran wrote on Instagram. "It means that I'm now unable to plough ahead with any in person commitments for now, so I'll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house. Apologies to anyone I've let down." Representatives did not immediately say which performances he is canceling and which he will carry out from home. (AP)
With a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state since the beginning of the festive season, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged people on Sunday to follow the safety protocols rigourously to curb the spread of the viral disease. She urged everyone to wear their facemasks properly, covering the nose, to avert being infected with the disease. "Please wear the mask properly. The number of Covid cases registered a spike after Durga Puja. Hence, you must follow the Covid safety precautions, do not keep the mask hanging from your chin," Banerjee said at a meeting. She urged everyone to follow the COVID-19 safety protocols during the upcoming Kali Puja, Diwali, Chhat Puja and Jagaddhatri Puja festivities. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo also warned people about a rise in the number of malaria cases in the state, especially in north Bengal. (PTI)
Assam reported 139 fresh COVID-19 on Sunday, lower than its five-day streak of over 300 single-day infections, a bulletin issued by the National Health Mission said. The state's caseload mounted to 6,08,589 with the new cases detected out of 19,713 samples, even as five more coronavirus deaths were registered, it said. Assam now has 2,510 active cases, and 5,98,759 patients have so far recovered from the disease, including 244 since Saturday. (PTI)